Stop fiddling around and eat some proper food!

Leon, who had been thoroughly shocked, nodded silently, indicating he didn't want to ask any more questions. Meanwhile, after a moment of silence, the Taurus Director looked up at the Sagittarius Director across from him.

"Let's talk about the Realm of the Dead first. How are the negotiations going with Grandma Crow-eye and the others?"

"I wasn't very clear originally, but these past couple of days... I've started to see a bit of progress!"

The Sagittarius Director glanced in Leon's direction, then responded:

"Among the fourteen self-aware Overlords of the Dead Realm, only four have clearly sided with the Slaughter King Association. They are the Mountain Patrol Woman, the River Digging Yellow Millipede, the Wailing Puppet, and the Embodied Doe, who is confirmed to be an official member of the Slaughter King Association.

Apart from those four, the remaining ten Overlords are divided into two factions. Among them, the Elder Holding the Lantern, who manages the [Dark Plains of Observing Life], and the First Deceased, who created the [No Return Path], belong to a confirmed neutral faction. They have no interest in the present world and do not intend to wage war with us.

However, the eight others, represented by Grandma Crow-eye, who manages the [Nest of Crows of Death Report], are considered the ambiguous faction. Although they don't clearly wish to be our enemies, they secretly maintain ties with the Slaughter King Association. It's uncertain what their intentions are."

So there are four confirmed turncoats, two likely onlookers, and a full eight ambiguous villagers, right?

Following the Sagittarius Director's response and briefly summarizing the situation in the Realm of the Dead, Leon did not immediately speak. Instead, he analyzed the current situation based on his understanding while attentively listening to the other directors' statements.

"In my opinion, Grandma Crow-eye and that so-called ambiguous faction actually just don't have the confidence to make a move."

The Cancer Director was the first to speak, habitually rubbing his round belly. With a "prosperous" look, he shook his shiny, bald head and cheerfully analyzed:

"She and the Concealing Master who manages the [Funeral Corridor] and the Death Master who controls the [Spirit Stepping Square] aren't as restless as the Embodied Doe, but they've attempted to cross the life-and-death boundary more than once or twice. They simply lack the confidence to deal with our full retaliation.

After the Embodied Doe dragged away the king ship of the Thousand Sails Maritime Country, do you think they would still want to negotiate? If Leon hadn't acted swiftly and decisively, wiping out half of the Slaughter King Association's power, to intimidate those few guys, there probably wouldn't even be an ambiguous faction."

Confirmed, the Cancer Director, although not in favor of waging war with the Dead Realm now, remains a member of the iron-blooded faction within the council.

"More than that, I'm more concerned about what will happen to those kids taken from the king ship."

As Leon silently noted the Cancer Director's stance, the Taurus Director clenched his hand nervously, anxiously asking:

"Sagittarius, did Grandma Crow-eye and the others mention the whereabouts of the cleaners who were taken? When are they planning to return them?"

"I asked, but their response was vague, and their attitude wasn't great."

Clearly irritated by this issue, the Sagittarius Director's expression turned cold as he explained with indifference:

"According to Grandma Crow-eye and the others, not siding with the Embodied Doe and the rest due to being fellow Overlords is already doing us a favor. In this matter, we owe them.

They have extended a favor to us without any obligation to get the people back. If we want to rescue those cleaners, we must offer corresponding conditions in exchange."

Upon hearing the Sagittarius Director's retelling, the directors' expressions soured. In his youthful state, the Pisces Director sighed and frowned, saying:

"The council indeed lacks manpower right now, and they must have realized this... Sagittarius, could you elaborate on Grandma Crow-eye and the others' conditions? If reasonable, we might as well agree for now and focus on rescuing the captured ones."

"They have many conditions, but most are negotiable. The main issues are three non-negotiable ones,"

the Sagittarius Director pondered for a moment before speaking:

"First is the matter of not pursuing accountability afterward. According to them, the Overlords of the Dead Realm advance and retreat together. If the Mountain Patrol Woman and the others release our people, we must act as if the incident with the Thousand Sails Maritime Country never happened and not trouble the Embodied Doe and the others afterward."

"Is this a verbal promise? Or do we need to..."

"We have to sign a contract."

The Sagittarius Director closed his eyes and continued:

"We need three people to go to the [Annihilation Tablet Sea], under the jurisdiction of the Craftsman of Names, to select a tablet and engrave our names and this promise on it. The promise remains valid until we forget our names after death."

Annihilation Tablet Sea?

"That's also a location in the Dead Realm, situated between the [Dark Plains of Observing Life] and [Zhanhuai Mountain]. However, few souls can reach it."

As if guessing Leon's lack of knowledge, the Taurus Director softly explained into his ear:

"Only those whose wisdom was exceptionally outstanding, self-awareness unbelievably strong, or regrets overwhelming during their lifetime can retain their name after passing through the three-fold erosion of the [Sage's Cemetery], [City of Regret], and [Ghostly Mire], allowing them to enter the [Annihilation Tablet Sea].

The Craftsman of Names, who manages the [Annihilation Tablet Sea], deals with these special deceased by taking away their names and engraving them on the tablets. Then, they send them for erosion at Zhanhuai Mountain, helping them return to the world's origin quickly.

For living beings like us, engraving a name on those tablets in advance doesn't immediately strip us of our names, but it essentially establishes an unbreakable promise."

I see...

Leon nodded in understanding but then frowned, asking:

"But entering the domain of a Dead Realm Overlord so rashly is dangerous, right? Apart from being unable to break a promise, are there no other effects?"

"There definitely are."

Upon hearing Leon's question, the Sagittarius Director replied:

"At the very least, you'll have to revisit the [Annihilation Tablet Sea] after death... However, this is the simplest of their conditions to meet."

Raising an eyebrow, Leon asked, somewhat surprised:

"The other two conditions are even harsher?"

"Yes."

The Sagittarius Director nodded, frowning tightly:

"Because anyone boarding the king ship enters a semi-death state, most cleaners we sent are of the 'undying' type. Grandma Crow-eye's second condition is that those cleaners returned must be stripped of all 'undying' traits."

"Meaning... we need to take away their anomalies?"

"Yes."

The Aquarius Director nodded, adding:

"They believe the existence of these 'undying' individuals is a blasphemy against the objective rules of the Dead Realm and their powers. So, even if they return them to us, they must strip away their ability to escape death and reduce their remaining lifespan as punishment, by about half."

"..."

This bunch really has some nerve!

Leon frowned upon hearing this but did not immediately voice opposition, as the highest priority was rescuing Senior Emma and the others from the Dead Realm. The matter of undying anomalies and reduced lifespan, though unsettling, isn't too difficult to handle in practice.

After all, with the gate to the Dead Realm in his own hands, at worst, Leon could close the gate, preventing entry when Senior Emma and the others die, retrieving their souls. Could the Overlords of the Dead Realm possibly come out and snatch people?

"And their last condition..."

As Leon pondered potentially exploiting loopholes, the Sagittarius Director glanced at him and said:

"Aquarius, they want you to enter the [Annihilation Tablet Sea] and engrave your name, promising never to access the [Gate of the Deceased] before death and to return the power taken from the Guardian of Death Dogs."